This Strawberry Pie ticks all the boxes: It is no-bake, it’s not too sweet, it’s seasonal, it’s gorgeous and will impress a crowd, and most importantly, it is delicious. In the world of quick and easy desserts, it wins the prize.
We are not a big dessert family. In fact, Pablo’s been telling his friends his favorite dessert is cheese! Teaching his peers the ways of the French gourmet 😉 Our most common, every day dessert, is a piece of fruit. Growing up, my mother always gave new seasonal fruit a magical aura. I always made wish at the first bite of the first fruit of the season.
And t’is strawberry season indeed! My favorite way to eat strawberries, is to simply sprinkle them with sugar, and dip them in some crème fraîche. It’s an easy dessert, but it’s so decadent. This dessert is a slightly evolved version of it. I used “Petits Beurres“, the simple butter cookies of my childhood in France, to make a no-bake pie dough. You can easily replace them with shortbread butter cookies, or Speculoos if you can find them. (Here’s a video step-by-step guide.)
So what you get when you bite into this Strawberry Pie, is a taste of buttery cookie, soft & sweet cream, and the flavor of a juicy strawberry. And that’s indeed a slice of spring heaven!
I’ve been thinking about how food connects us in different ways. Or it can be seen and used as a great connector, a great link, not only to each other at the table and in the kitchen, but it also reminds us we belong to this Earth, through the appreciation of freshly grown, seasonal ingredients. And it connects us our past, through the flavors of our childhood. Last, but not least, it reminds us we belong to ourselves, through the ultimate act of self-care: bringing pleasure and joy to our souls and bodies. Hereby lies the power of this Strawberry Tart 😉
Strawberry Pie with Crème Fraîche and Butter Cookie Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 200 g Petits Beurres Cookies (Or any butter biscuits / shortbread cookies or speculoos)
- 75-100 g butter
- 1 lb fresh strawberries (and other berries for garnish, if you'd like)
- 3/4 cup Crème Fraîche (homemade, or Vermont Creamery is my favorite)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
No-bake Cookie Pie Dough
- Mix the cookies in a food processor until you get a fine powder.
- Melt the butter (microwave or stove). Pour it over the cookie powder. Start with 80% of the butter, and add a little bit until you are able to make a ball of dough. If it feels too crumbly, add a couple of teaspoons of cold water. The ball of dough should hold together.
- With your fingers, press the pie dough into a 9" pie mold (preferably with removable bottom), and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
The Rest of the Cream Pie
- Meanwhile, wash and cut your strawberries in half.
- In a larger bowl, add crème fraîche, heavy cream (make sure it's cold), vanilla & powdered sugar, and whip with a hand mixer until thick (around 3 minutes).
- Take the pie dough out of the freezer, and spread the cream mixture in it.
- Add the granulated sugar to your strawberries, delicately toss them with your hands. Add them, one by one, on top of the cream.
- Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
